Snapshots
by xXxangel's.two.wolvesxXx
Summary: Gaara and my OC Arisa have been the best of friends since they were little. Every chapter is a snapshot of their intertwined lives from that first night to the end of their lives. From mad fan clubs to telepathical accidents, they've experienced it all. GaaraXOC, NaruHina, SasuSaku, ShikaTema, KanMats. Rated T just in case
1. Snapshot I: The Beginning

**Hi everyone! It's Angel! This is a fic that is supposed to be a companion fic to another one that I'm writing, but I haven't really got that posted yet. So for now, just know that this is a GaaraXOC story and my OC is his future wife. They are all super duper long because each chapter has to be one complete snapshot. This one is like, over ten pages in a word document…**

**Disclaimer: Just saying I'm a girl should be enough.**

Gaara: age 9, Arisa: age 7

Timeline: pre-Naruto

Gaara's P.O.V.

I hated Shukaku. It brought me so much misery. I could never control it.

Never.

It always attacked everyone. I guess this time was just different that the rest.

Kasumi-chan, a four year old girl was walking outside and when I walked past, like everyone else, she hid.

But there was something about her Shukaku didn't like. And he attacked her, of course.

"Run away!" I yelled as Shukaku began to attack. I grip my sides as the pain seared through them. But she was too paralyzed to move.

Luckily, along came Arisa-chan, a seven year old chunin genius. Arisa-chan was from my academy class, although she was two years younger, but had graduated a long time before. She took out two kunai, infused them with wind chakra, and countered each of Shukaku's attacks. "Kasumi! You heard what he said! Run home!" Arisa-chan yelled.

"Demo, Arisa nee-chan!" the four year old whimpered. So Arisa-chan is Kasumi-chan's sister. Shukaku, that was the wrong kid to mess with.

"Run!" Arisa-chan gritted her teeth as Shukaku pushed her backwards. Kasumi-chan turned and ran.

The older blonde turned to me. "I know you don't mean this, Gaara-kun. So try and fight it. Come on. Onegai," she yelled. She had no way of attacking Shukaku since she already was too busy defending herself.

"I-I can't!" I yelled.

"Yes you can. You're strong enough. I've heard my share of stories about you."

"But..."

"Atleast try! I don't want to have to kill you!" At the sound of the word "kill", I flinched and began to battle Shukaku within.

I slipped into my sub consciousness, in a dark room of sand, with only me and Shukaku within. "Stop attacking. Now," I commanded the beast.

"Why should I?" it asked.

"Be-because you can't attack innocent people like th-that," I replied. I mentally tried to seal it, and slowly, very slowly, I managed to push it back into its cage.

Meanwhile, on the outside, Arisa-chan was too tired to keep on fighting when the attack finally stopped. "Arigato," she said, out of breath.

"Gomenasai," I replied.

"Why? It's not your fault you are Shukaku's vessel. I know you didn't mean to attack my sister. But if anything like that happens again, I'm going to have to kill you. Not that I want to, of course, but what must be done has to be done," she said. "That's kinda my nindo."

"I understand," I said. "Domo arigato."

"No problem." The girl genius with the long blonde hair turned around and headed home.

Right there and then, I realized there was something about her that I couldn't help but love. Love at first sight huh? But love never works for me.

Arisa's P.O.V.

"Arisa-chan, you did what?!" my mother yelled the second I walked into the house.

"I swear she did! She spared him when she could kill him!" Kasumi said.

"You stayed?! I told you to run!" I yelled at her.

"Why did you spare him?" Mom asked sternly.

"I couldn't kill him! The beast was too powerful. Kasumi isn't even in the Academy yet. She can't analyze battles. I had no way of counterattacking!" I responded in my defense. "Oka-san, I'm just an undersized chunin!"

She shook her head in disappointment. "We will decide your punishment when your oto-san and Ichirou-kun return home. Up to your room. Now!" Oka-san yelled.

I obeyed. When you're a chunin, never ask for a fight with a jonin. Especially when she's your mother. "Hai, oka-san," I said. I stomped up to my room and lied down on my bed, deep in thought.

Gaara-kun didn't deserve to be shunned like this. He didn't have a choice on whether he'd be a jinchuriki or not. No one would be his friend. Considering my current situation, which might get me disowned, I might as well try being friends with him.

And oka-san wasn't there at the battle and she knows I am a chunin, but my size is a severe disadvantage. While most chunin are fourteen or older, usually, I'm seven and puny. Anyone watching would have known I was a goner.

Worse was Kasumi. She was three and despite her shinobi background, couldn't have been able to give a good analysis of the battle situation.

Urgh, frustrating.

"Tadaima!" I heard Ichirou nii-chan and oto-san yell as they entered the house. Then I heard the chitter chatter of Mother and Kasumi describing their version of the day's events.

"I have decided her punishment. Where is Arisa-chan?" Oto-san asked.

"Arisa-chan, come downstairs!" Oka-san yelled.

I ran down the stairs. "Konbanwa, oto-san, Ichirou nii-chan," I greeted them.

Oto-san sighed. "Arisa-chan, you are now disowned and obligated to move out of the house. You have exactly one hour to pack your things."

I swore I saw Ichirou nii-chan beam, so I didn't bother to fight. I nodded. "Fine," I said. "I don't care. Sayonara."

I walked upstairs to my room and began packing after taking a quick shower. I took out two duffel style bags and shoved my few belongings into them. Weapons, street clothes, sword maintenance kit, first aid kit, sleeping sack, thirty thousand ryo, and a few water bottles, which I filled up with the water dispenser in my room.

I ran downstairs and stole a few cans of food and a few bags of my favorite beef jerkey. Lastly, since there was enough space, I sealed all of my furniture within different scrolls.

It didn't matter to me that I was disowned. I had it coming along for me anyway since I was shaming Ichirou too much with my skills. Well, unlike my brother, could make it out there alone with the pay I get. I lugged the two duffel bags out the door and didn't look back.

This quaint little house on the sandy street was no longer my home.

The sun had already set and most places were already closed, except for restaurants, so I didn't bother to start looking for an apartment. Instead, I headed to my favorite sushi place, run by a teenage girl, Eri-san, and her father.

"Welcome, Arisa-san. What's up? You're so glum-looking?" Eri-san greeted me.

"Whaddaya expect? I just got disowned," I replied.

"Disowned?! Why?!" she was surprised.

"Sparing Gaara-kun instead of killing him when he attacked Kasumi-chan. Like I could kill him anyway. They both knew that," I grumbled. "But I think it's just an excuse to cover up for their true reasons."

"What?"

"Shaming the eldest son."

"Huh?"

"Ichirou nii-chan. I'm killing nii-chan's ego."

"Ah."

"Dinner's on the house tonight, okay?" Eri's father said, interrupting the conversation.

"Domo arigato, oji-san. I'll have the usual," I said.

"Okay, a plate of eel rolls and a plate of crab rolls, coming right up!" Eri-san said.

"So where are you going to stay tonight?"

"The park, probably," I responded.

"I would invite you to stay at our place, but we have our cousins over and they've taken up every inch of space in the apartment. Gomene."

"Sore wa daijobu desu. You're already giving me dinner, so I can't ask for more."

"Alright, here it is," Eri's father said.

"Arigato. Itadakimasu!" I said and dug in. After I was done, my spirit was refueled and I was ready to move on. "I'll be leaving now. Thank you for the food. Sayonara!" I said and walked out the door.

"Arigato!" they replied in unison.

I settled down in a spot in the park and got ready to go to bed. "Eh, Arisa-chan?" I heard a voice call out. It was Gaara-kun. "What are you doing outside at this time of night?"

"I got disowned and kicked out of the house. I had it coming," I replied.

"Because of me?!" he asked.

"That's what they are convincing themselves to believe. I know it's a cover up."

"Gomenasai, Arisa-chan. Here, come home with me. I'll give you a place to stay until you find a place of your own," he said.

"That would be great. Arigato," I said. He picked up one of the bags and started walking towards his place.

Gaara P.O.V.

Arisa was disowned because of me. I know it. She just said it was a cover up to make me feel better. The least I could do was give her a place to stay.

"Tadaima!" I yelled as I entered the apartment on the third floor. My siblings and I lived on the third floor of a dual-story apartment building, meaning each room has two floors. Floors one and two are the same apartments, same with three and four as well as five and six.

"Konbanwa, Gaara," Temari nee-chan greeted me. "Kore wa dare?"

"The girl I told you about. She got disowned and doesn't have a place to stay. Arisa-chan, this is my sister, Temari."

"Disowned?!" she exclaimed, surprised as she should be. "You are welcome to stay here tonight, but I'm afraid you'll have to share a room with Gaara."

"Konbanwa. And that would be just fine," she replied.

"Eh, Gaara, you brought someone home!" a surprised looking Kankuro nii-chan walked to the living room.

"Konbanwa, Kankuro. This is my friend, Arisa-chan. She needs a place to stay," I greeted him. "Arisa-chan, this is my brother Kankuro."

"Welcome to our place," Kankuro nii-chan said.

"Arigato," she replied.

"Here, come on, follow me," I said. We lugged the duffel bags upstairs to my room.

"You have a really nice place," she commented.

"Arigato. Yeah, it's not that bad. Have you eaten yet?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Hey, Gaara! Lights out!" Temari nee-chan yelled up the stairs.

"Okay!" I yelled. "You can take the bed," I said to her.

"That's not fair," she said. "It's your bed."

"It's fine," I replied. "Just take it."

"How about stop arguing and flip a ryo!" Kankuro nii-chan yelled, probably frustrated with Arisa-chan and my useless argument. I looked at her and she shrugged.

I pulled a 5 ryo coin out of my pocket. She called heads. It landed tails.

So I went into the bathroom and quickly changed into a t-shirt with the Suna symbol and shorts, while she, in the room, had changed into a t-shirt that said "Team Akemi" on it in chibi letters and a pair of shorts.

I climbed in to the bed as she unfolded her portable futon. She curled up with her back to me and promptly fell asleep.

Lucky her. With Shukaku, I'll never know when my next nap of over a minute will be.

Arisa P.O.V.

Right after I fell asleep, there was a thunderstorm.

Just my luck.

I hate thunderstorms.

I whimpered quietly in my sleep and when the first thunderclap rolled around, I was shaking.

"Daijobudesuka?" a voice I didn't imediately register as Gaara-kun's said.

"I-I...can't...st-stand...th-thunderstorms," I replied, stuttering in fear.

"Daijobudes, Arisa-chan," Gaara-kun said.

"Sleep here tonight." I got up and climbed into his bed timidly, dragging my pillow behind me. He draped his arm protectively over me and held me close. At first his touch felt strange on my skin, but it soon became comforting and calming.

Thing is, I was way more afraid of thunderstorms than I was of Gaara-kun.

Gaara P.O.V.

She stopped shaking for a little while. Atleast that was a good sign.

We don't get many thunderstorms, maybe twice or three times a year. We do live in the middle of a desert, after all. This was rare, and it just happened to happen tonight.

When the next clap of thunder came, she began shaking again. "It's okay, Arisa-chan. Promise. I'll protect you," I tried to reassure her, but I really didn't know how.

She rolled herself into a tighter ball. I could tell her breathing was intensely labored. But what could I do? I didn't know how to comfort her. There was another thunderclap, and she shuddered so hard the whole bed was shaking. "It's okay, Arisa-chan," he said. "It's okay. I promise."

When my t-shirt got strangely wet, I realized she was crying. Since the time I met Arisa-chan in the Academy, I thought of her as a very strong girl. When her sensei died, she managed to not shed a tear in public. I saw her crying in a corner after Akemi-sensei's funeral, which is why I know. Arisa-chan crying like this meant she was truly scared.

I wished I could do more than give her a shoulder to cry on and inwardly cursed myself for not being able to.

Shukaku's voice flared up and screamed "Kill her! Kill her! Her weaknesses are anoying!"

"No," I thought to the beast. "No killing. She's in enough pain."

"Shikashi..."

"SHINAI!" I screamed in my head. I wasn't going to let Shukaku kill the seven year old girl in my arms. She trusted me. I couldn't kill her. I held the girl in my arms close. Arisa-chan was still shaking hard, and crying hard, too.

I wanted to do more. But I couldn't.

Arisa P.O.V.

I admit I have astraphobia.

But you can't blame me. You didn't see your adopted brother, your idol, fried to a crisp in front of you on your birthday, thanks to a lunatic who wanted revenge for something Katashi's biological parents did. In other words, my brother was murdered by directed lightning, intended to appear like an accident.

No one knew about my phobia until tonight, so it was embarrassing to be crying in front of Gaara. I was a girl with no weak points, according to many. Well, there's the proof I'm not. I felt my heart rate quicken and Gaara held me tighter, feeling it too.

He probably didn't know, since I was still shaking and crying hard, that his touch comforted me a lot. If I didn't accept his invitation, I'd be outside right now crying my eyes out.

Well, Katashi always said, for every bad thing there will be a good thing. Looks like Gaara was the good thing today. I would have never guessed.

"Arigato, Gaara-kun," I whispered.

"Gomene, but I think this is all I can do for you. I'm not good at this," he whispered back.

"This is perfect, Gaara," I replied. "Hotoni. Domo arigato."

"That's good." I thought I heard a sigh of relief when I said that.

As the thunderstorm rolled to a stop, we were so comfortable neither one of use wanted to move, so we spent the rest of the night, me curled up in his arms, him curled around me protectively.

I trusted him enough for that.

Gaara P.O.V.

As the moon rose higher and higher, the more of Arisa-chan's sleeping face I could see. She was beautiful, like always, but her sleeping face was calm and serene, unlike everything else in the world. Her long hair flowed down her back in a way I've never seen, since her hair is always up.

I really did fall in love. But along with love, for me, came hurt. And death. I will never hurt this girl in my life. I vowed to protect her forever.

Never.

I swore this on my life.

Arisa P.O.V.

When I woke up at sunrise, he was still asleep, so I stayed still, careful not to wake him. His face was so kind and calm, unlike the demon that was inside of him. His arms were around me from last night's thunderstorm.

I had a feeling I couldn't quite put my finger on. I didn't know how to describe it. All I knew was that I was happy.

He looked so sweet and so...innocent. It was just so different from the demon everyone else sees Gaara-kun as. Was I falling for the demon that everyone hates? Well, I guess there's no denying something that happened.

"Mmnh," Gaara-kun groaned as he opened his eyes a few minutes later. "Oh, ohayo gozaimasu, Arisa-chan. Are you okay?"

"Hai, arigato," I replied. "About last night, thank you so much. It's just that thunderstorms...they bring back so many memories..."

"You'll be fine. Hontoni," he said. "I can promise that much."

"Arigato, Gaara-kun. Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Yep. Come on, let's get ready for breakfast," he said.

"Sure." He flipped the covers off and we climbed out.

I went downstairs to the kitchen first after changing into my ninja uniform. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Temari-san. Can I help you with anything?" I asked.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Arisa-chan. Yeah, actually, can you help me beat these eggs?" she asked, handing me a mixing bowl with four eggs. "I'm making Suna Style Hot Cakes for breakfast, like I usually do."

"Suna Style? Oka-san - er - Emi-san, I should say, always makes those," I said, grabbing a whisk and beating the eggs.

"Yeah. They are a really nutritious breakfast," she said.

We worked in silence for a little bit.

"Y'know, it's hard to believe I'm five years older than you but I'm only a genin," she said.

"I'm surprised I even graduated from the academy," I said. "I swear Matsumoto-sensei hated me."

Temari-san chuckled. "Doesn't Matsumoto-sensei hate everyone?"

"In Gaara's and my year, the exception was this stuck-up rich jerk," I replied.

"Ohayo, mina," Kankuro-san and Gaara-kun said as they walked into the kitchen.

"Ohayo," Temari-san said. "Kesu. Hey, Arisa-chan, can you finish these for me? I forgot about Baki-sensei's training exercise today."

"Sure, but what will you eat?"

"Baki-sensei's treating today after training," Temari-chan said.

"Oh, I know what you're doing today. Akemi-sensei did the same activity. Good luck out there. You'll need it," I said.

"Domo. Ja!" she yelled, sprinting out the door.

I finished up the hot cakes and helped set the table.

"Anyway, about a place for you to stay. There is one more room in this apartment, but we couldn't let you stay there last night because it is way too dusty. Anyway, I talked with Temari about it and she agrees you can stay here at our place for as long as you want."

"What's the rent going to be?" I asked.

"Well, let's see. You won't be around much since you're already a chunin, right?" I nodded. "How about this. You can just stay for free if you help out around the house and stuff like that."

"But that's not fair. I'd be totally ripping you guys off."

"You're the seven year old here, Arisa-chan," Gaara said.

"Shut up!" I laughed. "I outrank all of you guys."

"Come on, just stay with us. It'll be better for us too because then that room wouldn't be a waste of cooled space," Gaara reasoned.

I thought about it for a moment. "Okay," I said. "I'll accept."

"We've got classes today, so can you help clean up, please?" Kankuro-san asked. He and Gaara-kun grabbed the lunchboxes sitting near the stove.

"Sure, leave everything to me. It's the least I can do," I shrugged.

"Arigato. Sayonara!" Gaara-kun said, dropping a spare set of keys in my hand.

"Ja!" I called back. I began to clean up and washed all of the dishes.

Afterwards, I walked upstairs to the room the boys spoke of. They were right: it was rather unsafe to live in. The room was about 4 1/2 tatami. **(A/N: about 9 ft****2****)**

I opened the window and took out one of my fans, which I don't use often since my tessenjutsu is weak. In a single swoop, all of the dust flew outside. Oh, don't worry, it was an alleyway.

I went into Gaara-kun's room and picked up my stuff. On my way out, I saw a single framed photo of a woman with red hair.

It was Karura-sama. I would recognize her anywhere.

Once back in my new room, I summoned the furniture from the scrolls and arranged them across the space. I shoved my few clothes into the dresser and the stolen food into the drawer of the nightstand by my futon, which I laid in the corner closest to the window.

Placing the framed photo of Team Akemi on the dresser along with a photo of my graduating academy class and a photo of Katashi nii-chan and I at the fireworks, I sighed and brushed my dirty palms off on my shirt.

The walls of the room were painted a deep red, my favorite color, so I didn't bother to think about repainting them.

Once I was done, I headed outside. I decided to register my move at the administrative office so payments and other information could still be sent to me at my new place.

On the way back, I saw that baking goods were on sale at the market so I bought some ingredients. _I'll make cookies from scratch for Temari-san, Kankuro-san, and Gaara-kun_, I thought.

"Eh, Arisa-chan?" Temari-san asked.

"Oh, it's you, Temari-san," I said.

"You really don't have to be so formal. Kankuro told me you accepted our invitation...so why don't you call me nee-chan. I guess you could then call Kankuro nii-chan like Gaara does," Temari-san said.

"Okay then," I said. "But in return, drop the honorifics. Applies to Kankuro nii-chan and Gaara-kun too."

"Sure."

"What are you planning on doing?" she asked after a while.

"Making some cookies as a treat," I said. "Do you guys like cookies?"

"Understatement of the millennium. Gaara is obsessed with cookies, Kankuro is a close second, and I love them too," Temari nee-chan.

"Then let's bake," I said. We walked towards the apartment.

"Ne, Arisa," Temari nee-chan said. "There is one thing I just want you to know about staying at our place. Don't mess with Gaara. He won't hesitate to finish off anyone. Got it?"

"Hai," I said as she unlocked the door to the apartment. I immediately set to work on the cookies and they came out golden brown an hour later.

"Oh! Sugoi!" Temari nee-chan exclaimed.

"Hai, hai!" I said. "Eat up!" She and I both reached for a cookie from the heaping stack of about sixty that I baked.

When Gaara-kun and Kankuro nii-chan got home from the Academy, though, what was left of sixty after Temari and I did our damage, became scintillas of crumbs.

"Oishi!" Gaara exclaimed after finishing his twentieth or so cookie. "Arisa-chan, you've got to make more of these!"

"We don't need a sugar-high Shukaku jinchuriki," I said. "So I'll only bake occasionally. Besides, I can do more than cookies. I can bake brownies, cake, you name it."

"Wow!" Temari nee-chan said.

"Hey, um," I said. "I need to go somewhere really quick. I'll be right back."

"It's really dark out. Do you want me to go with you?" Gaara-kun asked.

"I'm fine," I said, and exited the apartment.

I took a walk to the graveyard and found Katashi nii-chan's gravestone among many others.

"Konbanwa, Katashi nii-chan," I said, kneeling down at the gravestone. "There was a thunderstorm last night; scared me half to death. Oka-san and Oto-san finally did it, y'know. I'm officially out. I'm staying at Gaara-kun's place now, since they offered me their spare bedroom. Gaara-kun protected me last night from the thunderstorm, nii-chan, so if you can, please help his tortured soul for your imoto. He doesn't deserve to be shunned like this. You get it, right? Anyway, it's late and the others will get worried soon. I'll see you later, nii-chan!"

I ran back to the apartment where I found the three siblings watching a re-run of last season's "Suna's Next Talent!" on the television set. That season, I was on the show either playing guitar, piano, or singing. Needless to say, I won.

Just my luck. My act from the finals rounds was on the TV when I walked in.

"Ne, ne, Arisa-chan," Gaara-kun said. "I never knew you could sing or play an instrument."

"There are many many things you don't know about me, Gaara-kun," I said.

The lyrics of the two songs playing on the TV within the next ten minutes touched me. They spoke of healing again after a long time of hurt, to become whole, and to become free.

I could never have those things.

Never.

Gaara P.O.V.

Arisa-chan looked extremely sad, so I didn't want to bother her. I could tell the songs on the TV touched her extremely.

Me too. I would never be able to stop fighting because of Shukaku. My poisons ran too deep to wash off. I couldn't ever be whole again, even if I had help, which I could not get. Even with a miracle fairytale, I wouldn't be able to be saved.

"Ne, I'm going to go to bed now. See you in the morning," Arisa-chan said.

"Me too," I got up off the couch.

"Goodnight," the others called.

When we reached her bedroom, I finally spoke. "Ne, Arisa-chan?" I asked. "Daijobudeska?"

"Daijobu," she said with a sigh. "Ne, Gaara-kun?"

"Hai." "Do you ever wondered about your place in the world? Why you're here and everything?"

"Sometimes," I replied. "Arisa-chan, are you really okay? I mean, being disowned is hard."

"I never loved my parents. They never loved me. You know, that song on the TV was talking about 'being whole again'. But I was never whole to begin with, I can't be whole again." She sighed again. "Sometimes I wonder if I was here to just be trouble for everyone around me."

"Kesu, Arisa-chan," I replied. "You are anything but trouble. Something tells me you've got a big role to play in the future."

Maybe she'll have a chance to change me...

The blonde girl in front of me tried to smile. "Domo arigato."

Some thunder rolled by and she froze for a second before trying to hide her panicked look. "Kesu..." she cursed under her breath."Goodnight Gaara-kun."

"Will you be okay?" I asked, sincerely concerned.

"I'll be fine," she replied is a shaky voice.

"I'm next door, so come in if you want to. I suffer from isomnia, so I probably won't be sleeping anyway."

"Hai. Arigato."

It only took her an hour and twenty minutes of pounding rain, cackling lightning, and rolling thunder to accept my invitation.

She knocked on the door. "Gaara-kun," she said, on the verge of tears. "It's me, Arisa. Can I come in?"

"Yeah," I replied. I was having trouble sleeping, like every other night, so I didn't mind the company. I was sitting upright on my bed, and she joined me, sitting on the floor at first before I told her to sit on the bed.

"You want to talk about it?" I asked the shaking girl.

"Sure," she said, wiping away a tear. "It was about four years ago; the murder. You've probably heard of it. My nii-chan, although adopted, was struck by directed lightning by some deranged lunatic who wanted revenge for something Katashi nii-chan's parents did before they died. I dunno...since that day, I've been scared to death of thunderstorms."

"Did you ever tell your parents?" "No, I didn't. They got over Katashi nii-chan's death very quickly, and I was afraid my astraphobia would, I dunno...remind them, I guess."

"So I'm the only one who knows."

"Hai." Thunder rolled by again and she dug her fingernails into her legs, drawing a little bit of blood.

"Careful there." I grabbed Arisa-chan's shoulder and had her lean on me so I could give her some security. My shirt turned moist again. "Hey, don't cry, Arisa-chan. It's okay." It took her a few minutes to calm down. Kesu, why were there so many thunderstorms? It's the desert, for goodness sake!

"So what about lightning jutsu?" I asked. "How do you deal with those?"

"It looks fake, so I'm usually fine. Besides, my true personality and my outer shell are completely separate most of the time," she explained. "I can usually hold on for a few minutes, like you saw last night, which is enough time to incapacitate an enemy."

"That's good." I didn't know why I felt so concerned about Arisa-chan. We sat together in silence for a bit.

"Ne, Gaara-kun," she finally said.

"Nande, Arisa-chan?" "Just...just drop the honorifics, like the rest of your siblings."

"Only if you do the same."

"That's fine."

"Okay then."

"I'm going to go back to bed now. Domo arigato."

"No problem. Sleep well."

"I will." The blonde walked out of my room and back to hers.

And that night was the night I realized I loved her.

**That's it for the first Snapshot! Please review. I do appreciate constructive criticism. **


	2. Snapshot II: Not Wanting To Care

**Hi everyone! Thank you to animeorange94 and bobbie for reviewing.**

**The fanfic that this is supposed to be a side story for is now up! It's titled "Song of Angry Men". Please go and read it!**

**This chapter will be a lot shorter than the previous one. Like two thousand words shorter. The reason is that I started writing Snapshots long before I even got this profile, and over the months, I just added and added on to the first chapter for no good reason. The first chapter was really easy to write because it was all fluffy and everything, but this one is more angsty and depressing with a lot less fluff.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its spin-offs.**

"_If I lay here_

_If I just lay here_

_Would you lie with me_

_And just forget the world?"_

_-"Chasing Cars" (Snow Patrol)_

Gaara: age 13, Arisa: age 11 Timeline: during/post-Naruto

Arisa P.O.V.  
When my biological parents came back dead from an A-rank mission, I didn't want to cry.  
Why? They never cared for me. I was always the second child who shamed the first. Their prides were wounded. Hiroto-san and Emi-san could have gotten rid of Ichirou nii-chan instead. He was more capable skill-wise of surviving by himself out there in this world.

That would be the possible...if we didn't live in Suna. The eldest son is always right in Suna.  
While most parents nurtured their prodigies, my parents shunned me. They had no choice. But that didn't matter to them.

They only gave me a roof because I was genetically connected to them. And that was only for seven years. I hated them! They hated me! Why should I care if they died? So why did I care when their bodies were wheeled in through the front gate?

"Why should I write anything?" I demanded.

"They were your parents," Isago-san said.

"Correction, sir. They were my BIOLOGICAL parents. I've been doing fine without contact with them for four years. And they didn't care at all about me. No, I'm not going to speak at the funeral, sir, nor am I going to be there," I said. "It would disgrace them." I angrily walked out of the failed missions division of the administrative building.

Maybe now, in the afterlife, they can see Katashi nii-san, and maybe they'll remember their adopted son. And maybe they'll start regretting things. All I can do is pray they do. I walked back to the apartment as the sun set behind me, letting my thoughts drift pointlessly.  
As I unlocked the front door, I wondered if Hiroto-san and Emi-san ever cared for me, at any point in my life. I mentally slapped myself. Of course they did. Like, when I was born, maybe. Maybe not.  
I didn't understand why I was feeling so sad.  
Without a single word to the others, I went up to my room.  
Gaara, angel he was, entered my room and asked me what was wrong. I promptly said I was fine and asked him to leave. His expression showed hurt but he left anyway.  
Gomene, Gaara, but my strength lies in my ability to hide the pain.  
Right now, I need all of the strength I can get.

Gaara P.O.V.  
Arisa was never good at dealing with pain. She hid it from everyone, even herself.  
She had that thick outer shell, so well blended with the rest of her personality, people who looked once and only once thought it was really who she was. Bold, strong, confident, fearless, outspoken and much much more.  
Then there was her inner self. That was the Arisa that nee-chan and nii-san and others like them saw. She was quiet, often timid, respectful, and not as scary as her outer self.

And then there was her true soul. Arisa still can't figure it out yet, but I see her true self as fearful, silent, and confused, but in a beautiful way. Most would think fearful and confused were bad traits for a jonin out in the field, but I saw it as a good thing. Her soul had a degree of restraint, pulling back on her outer self, sometimes saving her life.

But because of her three conflicting personalities, she has three different sets of feelings.

Her pain came from the "true soul layer", as I called it. Arisa can't tell what's really in her soul because her soul is so clouded by her other two selves. She doesn't understand what pain is and she is confused beyond reach.

That's why when I asked her if she was okay, she pushed me away.

It hurt, that's for sure, but Arisa has always healed by herself. She's always the strong one who can hold her own, able to put up so many barriers around her heart, and the innocent girl who doesn't know true pain. And at this rate, she'll never know.

Arisa P.O.V.

I know.

I was harsh on Gaara. You don't need to tell me. I know I hurt him, and now he's trying to put up a "nothing happened" mask.

The four of us sat at the dining room table, completely silent as we enjoyed a take-out meal from the local hamburger steak joint, Kankuro's favorite place. Having not much of a proper appetite, I quickly excused myself from the table and headed to my room. From the window, I climbed to the roof of the apartment complex.

The moonlight bathed the sandy roof as I sat down and heaved a sigh. The warm night air caressed my skin and the darkness surrounded me like a starry cloak.

"Are you really okay?" a soft, but still familiar voice asked.

"I'm fine."

The redhead figure sat down beside me, his knees curled up to his chest. "This is my favorite place in all of Suna. It's relaxing, isn't it?"

"Sure is. And the moon's beautiful tonight."

"Yeah." The two of us sat in silence, enjoying the endless wonders of the desert night sky.

"Ne, just saying, Arisa," Gaara said suddenly. "I'll be here for you if you ever need me, okay?"

"Hai. Arigato, Gaara," I replied, grateful for his support.

We spent the rest of the night together up on the roof, just gazing at the stars and wondering who we are in this world.

**Y'know, have you guys ever wondered why apartments are called ****apart****ments when they are actually together? Please review! **

**This chapter kind of ended awkwardly, and that's because I decided that it should be continued in a bonus chapter. I will publish the bonus chapter as well as the others I have written if I get at least thirty reviews by the end of the story. I'm not asking for more reviews, but truth is, these are special and really really funny chapters that I'll only post if I know there are people who like to read this story.**


	3. Snapshot III: First Dates

**Hey guys! Thanks to Uchihasforever24, DarkShadow978 and Wolvesnightmare for following/favorite-ing and animeorange94 for reviewing.**

**This one's a bit longer than the last, but still doesn't beat 4,000 words.**

**Ice Cream Kari and I have Sword Art Online fanfiction! Please go and check it out. The link is on my profile.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I own Arisa and my other OCs.**

**Gaara: age 15, Arisa, age 13**

Gaara P.O.V. 

It was a spring morning that to the normal person seemed like a normal spring morning. But to me, it was going to be a sink or swim day.

Kankuro nii-chan and Temari nee-chan finally persuaded me to ask Arisa out.

I guess I did want to ask her out, but honestly, did a demon like me deserve a girl like her? I flashbacked to all of those memories from the past thirteen years.

When we were little, she never was afraid of me. When I wanted to play with the other kids and they'd run away, Arisa would always stay and play ball with me. We'd always have a great time.

Back in the Academy, she sometimes hung out with me secretly to help me feel better. She understood me in a way no one else did.

And then there was the day when I attacked her sister. She forgave me for what I did, saying I didn't mean it.

The more I thought about it, the less I felt I deserved her love.

And also, it was too dangerous for me to love her. All of the people I've loved, exception being nee-chan and nii-chan, all betrayed me by dying. I loved her too much to let her die.

I asked Shikamaru-kun, who was in the city for a quick stop, what to do. "What a drag. Just go for it, dammit. Life's full of risks and I know she's willing to take it. Of all people, Gaara-kun, you deserve her love, so don't go around denying it. It'd be a pain if you do. Just pop the question and it'll be fine," the Konoha chunin said.

"Hontoni?" I asked.

"Hai. Now don't be a drag and just do it," he said.

Gathering my resolve, I headed to one of the training ground to find the blonde girl. 

Arisa P.O.V. 

"Oi, Arisa!" I heard a voice yell. In the distance, I could see a redhead figure running this way.

"Ohayo, Gaara," I greeted the redhead.

"Ne, Arisa," he said as his face turned a red a bit brighter than the "ai" kanji on his forhead. "Y'wanna...go someplace together tonight? Just us two?"

"You mean...like a date?" I asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, like a date," he said.

I thought for a moment. The world was expecting him to ask me out. The world was expecting me to say yes. But did I really deserve a guy like this?

Memories flashed by.

The night of the thunderstorm. He held me, comforted me, protected me at my weakest time.

The times that he tried so hard to be there for me...and most of those times, I pushed him away, saying I didn't need his love.

He was an angel at heart but a demon in appearance. I didn't deserve an angel's love.

So I said, "Sorry, Gaara. Can't."

"Why?" he asked. Both of us knew the other was in love with us, so I suppose he was surprised.

"Because I don't deserve it," I replied.

"Of course you do, of all people, Arisa," he said calmly.

"I'm the one who doesn't deserve your love."

There and then, we both knew we were thinking the same thing.

But I was guilty! I pushed him away when I needed him the most, when he reached out and tried to help me.

Kesu. I wanted to say yes, but I didn't deserve it.

"If it didn't matter whether we deserve love or not, what would you say?" the redhead asked.

"It does matter," I cut in.

"Answer the question, Arisa," he commanded.

"I would say yes," I replied.

"Good," he said. "Then I'll meet you at the Sushi Shack at six-thirty. Ja!" And Gaara goes off and decides things on his own, huh? Sounds like he doesn't care about whether either of us deserved the other or not.  
He just wanted love, no strings attached. I guess I could do that.

I finished shuriken practice before heading to a burger place for a quick lunch. After some quick shopping for cookie ingredients, I headed home.

Temari nee-chan already knew of the day's events and was standing in front of my room when I got back. I dropped the bag of cookie stuff on the counter and headed to my room.

"Konnichiwa, Temari nee-chan," I greeted her. "What's up?"

"I heard Gaara finally got the guts to ask you out," Temari nee-chan said. "So I'm here to help you get ready."

"Oh, come on, Temari nee-chan," I sighed. "It's just a date!"

"Ahem. First date, you mean. Which is why I'm going to fix you up and knock my brother's socks off."  
Something told me it was time to sound an uh-oh alert. I blame myself for not.

"Well, I do need your help in that case," I said, welcoming her in. She immediately peered into my dresser to see what I could wear. She picked out a loose, short summer dress I bought for whatever occasion however many years ago. Thanks to my idiocy of picking a random dress at the time of purchase, the dress only went down to above the mid-thigh and was blood red with traces of a floral pattern.

For shoes, she chose a pair of flowery flats I didn't particularly like. Just for a moment, I swore at myself for not throwing away half of the junk in my closet the last time I cleaned it out.

I got dressed in the clothes Temari nee-chan chose for me and tied my kunai holster and a mini water gourd to my leg under the dress.

Nee-chan did my hair for me. She tied two thick braids, intertwined with lilies she brought with her, together at the top of my head, like a crown. The rest of my blonde hair hung down to just past my waist in delicate waves.

Despite my arguing, she insisted on putting some mascara and a peach colored lipstick on me, and won.

"Gaara's gonna faint when he sees you," she commented after taking a good look at her handiwork.

"I sure hope not," I sighed. She laughed. Grabbing my wallet and keys and shoving them in the black clutch purse Temari found somewhere in the corner of my closet, I headed out.

When I saw Gaara on the streets, he barely recognized me. Nor did I really recognize him. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and Bermuda shorts, much unlike his usual attire. His hair was slightly tamer than usual.

"You look beautiful," he said, grabbing my hand.

"Thanks," I blushed.

"I'm guessing that was the work of Temari nee-chan," he said as we walked towards the entrance of the sushi place.

"Yeah. And don't tell me you did that yourself," I teased.

"Kankuro nii-chan's handiwork," he replied with a no duh look on his face.

"Come on, let's eat," I said.

"Sure," he replied.

"Welcome! Oh, hello, Gaara-sama, Arisa-san," Eri-san greeted us. "Just two?" she asked, noticing nee-chan and nii-san weren't with us.

"Yup," I said.

"So a date, huh?" Eri-san said, leading us to the back booth in the newly renovated and expanded restaurant. "Have fun!"

"Arigato, Eri-san," I said. "We will."

"You picked something to eat yet?"

"Yeah," I said. "I almost knew the whole menu by heart until they changed it. That's just how often I come to this place."

"Okay, then," he said.

"Ready to order?" Eri-san's father said.

"Hai," I said. "I'll get the usual."

"I'll have the roe plate and the gizzard plate."

"Coming right up!" he replied.

"You don't have your sword on you?" Gaara asked.

"Nope. Who brings a sword on a date?" I replied.

"You don't have your sand either."

"Sand is everywhere. Not as fast and easy, but it's everywhere," he commented.

"I've got kunai and some water," I said. "So if anything happens, I'll be okay." Wow...what a dumb conversation.

"Yeah, anyway," he said. "Continuation of our conversation before..."

"Why did I agree to come out here tonight, even?" I muttered under my breath.

"You didn't," he chuckled. I scowled. "Point is, love isn't about whether you deserve it or not, it's about whether you have it and want more of it or not."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked.

"I'm trying to ask you whether you want to just try going out," the redhead boy said.

"Demo-" The fifteen year old Kage in front of me instantly cut me off.

"No buts, Arisa."

I shrugged. Which girl didn't want to date the Kazekage, the most amazing guy in the world, no strings attached? "Sure, then." He smiled a genuine smile.

Eri-san, who brought the food interrupted out conversation briefly, but we continued on.

"That's got to be the first time I saw you smile," I said. Even his chuckles were usually deathly stoic.

He laughed. "Itadakimasu!"

"Itadakimasu!" We dig in, and before long, the four sushi plates are cleaned out.

Gaara and I argued for a while about who would pay the bill. In the end, I lost. What's with me and losing arguments with the Sand Siblings today? 

Gaara P.O.V.

"Hey, I've got something I want to show you," I told her as we exited the sushi shop.

"Okay, then," she replied. I held her hand as we navigated the night time streets of Sunagakure.

"Follow me," I said, leading her to the top of the walls surrounding or village. It was almost eight o'clock, so we had to hurry, otherwise we'd miss it.

"Oh, Gaara, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed.

Just what I wanted to hear. I smiled. "It sure is." The sun slowly inched towards the horizon.

"Eh?! Nageroboshi!" Arisa squealed. "Make a wish," I said as another came raining down.  
I wished that Arisa and I would be together forever. She told me later she wished the same thing.  
Arisa began to hum to the tune of "Airplanes" by B.O.B. and Hayley Williams. "We should so make a music video of that one day and post it on our Monogatari pages," I suggested

"Yeah, and boost the fan base population. Kesu, Gaara, you're a genius," she replied sarcastically.

"No, hontoni!"

"How about a parody?" she asked. "Like a Key of Suna thing?"

"We could."

The sun fully dipped below the horizon and I decided it was about time to head back into town, even if we weren't heading home quite yet.

The atmosphere was serene and the smell of food from the street vendor carts wafted through the sandy night. To the right, a few blocks from Kazekage Memorial Park was a group of performers from were showing off the luminescent lights from their fancy display of jutsus. I always thought it was a ridiculous way to waste one's chakra, but Arisa had always found the shows entertaining. "It's amazing that the jutsus we use out on the battlefield can be so pretty!" she'd always exclaim.

So we paused in front of that display and Arisa oohed and aahed at the colorful display of lights. Suddenly, one of the performers, who I recognized at one of the genins on Temari's squad, lost control of a jutsu, and it instantly hit us with no time to dodge.

Unsure about what jutsu it was, Arisa and I simply got up, scolded the young genin, and promptly left the scene. It wasn't until the next morning until I found out exactly what jutsu it was and just how much it'd affect our future.

We were at the breakfast table enjoying Suna Style Hotcakes before work.

"Ugh," Arisa groaned, "I can't believe I got kicked off that mission list."

"Did you say something?" I asked when I noticed her lips weren't moving.

"Huh? No," she stated.

"That's weird. That was definitely your voice I just heard."

She shrugged.

Hearing her voice continued through the day even though she never spoke became too much of pain to deal with, and when she told me the same was happening to her, except she was hearing my voice, we decided to go and see a doctor, expecting the two of us were hallucinating in some way or another.

The result we got from the doctor was completely unexpected.

"It's a telepathic jutsu," the doctor explained.

"A telepathic jutsu huh? How long does it last?" I asked.

"Until one of you die," the doctor clarified.

"So I'm stuck reading your thoughts forever?" Arisa asked me.

"Same here, so don't complain," I replied.

"What is a telepathic jutsu of this degree doing at a performance anyway?"

"Beats me."

"This is going to suck," I groaned.

"Agreed."

**Monogatari literally means "tales" or "story" in Japanese. Monogatari is supposed to be a mix of, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Crunchyroll, tumblr, blogspot, and a little bit of Fanfiction, FictionPress, DeviantArt, and Google. So basically, you can chat, post photos, videos, stories, and artwork, as well as surf the web.****  
****Key of Suna is the Sunagakure version of Key of Awesome.**

**Please review! The offer for the bonus chapters is still valid! I have another one ready and it's a hilarious Monogatari blog.**


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